The rapid increase in the number of users of electronic data and the low cost of storing, processing, distributing, etc. electronic data, for example, via the Internet and other communications networks has resulted in computer users being inundated with data.
Just by way of example, electronic mass marketers (also called “spammers”) use a variety of techniques for obtaining electronic messaging address lists. For example, marketers obtain electronic messaging addresses from postings on various Internet sites such as news group sites, chat room sites, or directory services sites, message board sites, mailing lists, and by identifying “mailto” address links provided on web pages. Using these and other similar methods, electronic mass marketers may effectively obtain large numbers of mailing addresses, which become targets for their advertisements and other unsolicited messages.
The aforementioned trend of data inundation is not unique to spam by any means. In many areas, there is a great need for improved ways to categorize data, thereby making such data more manageable, meet certain criteria, and/or serve a particular purpose. Just by way of example, improved data categorization techniques are desired in the realm of parental controls, hypertext mark-up language documents, and/or any other purpose requiring any sort of data categorization.